A new vision
One month after the invasion of Kings landing the broken walls of the Red Keep from Daenerys' destruction still lay as a reminder of the tragic events that happened due to the quest for the Iron Throne. A throne that no longer exists. Ser Davos was standing in the room where it used to reside. The same room where both his king and queen fell just weeks prior. Daenerys, his queen, Stabbed by John Snow, the proclaimed King of the North just days after defeating the Night King together. A feeling of loss and confusion filled the air as a light dusting of snow coated the floors of the Throne Room. He knew he should feel proud that he helped bring peace to the realm yet he could not help but feel broken. Maybe it was all of the comrades that were lost on the journey, or perhaps it was the feeling of guilt that weighed on his shoulders for having a part in banishing Jon Snow? Without Jon the world as they know it would be nothing. Maybe he just felt empathy for him. Davos knew Jon did not want to do what he did. He did it for the greater good of Westoros. And he was being punished for it.
Waves slammed against the shore outside the throne room. Ser Davos could not help but think about what this day could have been. Just a few days ago, he fulfilled his prophecy and brought two great armies together to defeat the greatest enemy Westoros hs ever seen. Though in his mind he thought, Was this the outcome we were meant for? The sound of someone walking towards the throne room echoed down the Great Hall. Click clack, click clack, click clack...
"Davos" Tryion said in a relaxed tone as he approached the throne room.
"Tryion, what brings you here?" Davos replied.
"I suppose I could ask you the same thing" Tryion said jokingly.
"You know, even with the walls and the throne destroyed, I still feel like an outcast in this place" Tryion said as he was walking up to Ser Davos.
"I'd have to agree. It's going to take some getting used to for me as well" Davos uttered softly with the thought of making the right choice still weighing on his mind.
"You'll get used to it... Our ability to adapt is one we have in common. We wouldn't be here without it" Tryion said.
"Some could call it a curse," Davos said with a chuckle.
"But here we are. The great wars are over. Finally, we have a king who will bring peace to the six kingdoms. Thanks to people like you and me" Tryion exclaimed.
"Ay, but have you ever felt like this before?" Davos asked as he started to wander around the throne room.
"Like what?" Tyrian asked. The feeling of curiosity now coursed through him, wondering what was to come next from Ser Davos.
"Like you found the person who was going to lead this world to a better place" Davos explained.
Tryion flashed back to the first time he met his former queen. He remembered how strong and driven she was to leave this world a better place. He believed in her. A lot of people did. He recalled the time when Jon Snow, The King of the North, stood in front of the Dragon Queen and her council. The intensity of his words when he warned us of the real danger ahead. Even if no one else in the room believed in him. The North did.
"Yes. Another trait we share. Trust...This could also be called a curse" Tyrion said in a softer tone as the realization of his past began to sink in.
"We're seen as men filled with wisdom, not men filled with correct answers. In a world that's gone mad, I hope just hope we've made the right choice. " Davos said with a somewhat somber expression on his face.
"As a man who's made his fair share of mistakes, I've never felt more right about anything" Tryion said.
"Now I know you've said that before" Davos Replied.
They both laughed the statement but Tyrion's smile quickly faded. When he deciphered the words that were just spoken to him.
Davos, now staring where the iron throne once stood
" I felt the same way when we marched on Kings landing with Stannis. When we rode north to confront the real enemy before we learned of Jon Snow. Now he's gone .. I remember when the Red Witch brought him back from from the grave. After that, I was never more sure that he would be the one to bring peace to Westoros. Once more I felt this way just a short time ago in Winterfell when I Saw John and Daenerys flying on their dragons. For a time, I thought that they might rule together. Now Stanis and Dany are dead, and Jon Snow has been banished to the wall never to see the kingdoms he gave his life for again. I just wonder what this world would be like if there could have been a compromise" Ser Davos said as he pondered the thought.
"Wondering what could have been will not help us now Ser Davos. Come on now, the council is waiting" Tryion said before turning around towards the exit of the Throne Room.
Tyrion and Davos headed towards the king's council. Varys's last words ran through Tyrion's head. I hope I am wrong. The memory from that night etched into his brain. He remembered how he did not look frightened when Daenerys sentenced him to die by dragon fire for committing treason by conspiring against the queen. Though the thought of the night saddened him, he had a strange feeling about the collectiveness of Varys as he was burned alive. Even as his skin melted from his bones. There was no screaming. He did not plead for his life, just acceptance. Much like Tyrion, he rose to power from advising many powerful leaders in Westoros. Both of them knew what it took to survive in this world. Though he truly did trust the queen's intentions were good, for weeks Tyrion wondered if he had betrayed his longtime friend. After all, he was right.
Tyrian and Davos walked through the door of the council room together and sat down in their chairs simultaneously. The others had already arrived and were seated around the table prepared for the meeting of the council. Bronn of Blackwater, now Master of Coins, Sir Brianne of Toth, Commander of the Kings Gaurd, Grand Master Samuel Tarly and Ser Davos, Master of ships, gathered around the hand of the king in their seats.
Not long after Tyrion and the others stood up abruptly "Your grace" they said proudly. Everyone sat back down in their chairs as Bran the Broken, the new king of the Six Kingdoms, approached the table of the council room.
"My lords" Bran Replied.
"What is the meaning for this council? Tryion asked the King.
"Now that we have had time to lick our wounds. The time has come to appoint a Master of Whispers. Without a Master of Whispers we cannot hear our peoples needs. Essentially handicapping ourselves" The king stated.
The room grew eager for the announcement.
Breaking the silence, footsteps could be heard echoing towards the council room. The slender silhouette of a woman appeared in the distance. A familiar silhouette. It was Sansa Stark.
The Queen of the North approached her newly appointed chair on the King's Council.
"Your Grace"-The counselors greeted.
"My lords" Sansa replied as she's done so many times in this castle.
Sansa sat down at the table. The rest of the counselors followed and quickly sat down in their chairs.
There has never been a Master of Whispers who has openly admitted allegiance to a different kingdom. A vow to be independent was claimed when the great council announced that Bran the Broken was the rightful air to the Six Kingdoms. Though the choice seemed very wise, Ser Davos could not help but question this move. Sansa was Queen of the North. He remembered how the north reacted when their leaders went south. With Sansa now being on the King's Council, it seemed obvious she would be spending plenty of time down south.
"Your grace, we greatly appreciate your service to the council" Tryion exclaimed.
"She won't be doing it alone" The king said "Tryion, you will assist her with her duties" he added.
With a confused look, Tyrion questioned the king's command "Your grace, I appreciate the gesture but I must first ask... How am I to assist?"
"You will be handling the whispers to the east. You have more contacts and experience of the land than Sansa. This will be important. Sansa will be overseeing the whispers of the North" He said.
"Thank you, your grace. Well, I think it should be well known already, but whispers of Daenerys's murder has arrived in the city of Mereen. The Second Sons and their leader Daario Naharis, surprisingly, have not retaliated to hearing the news" Tyrion said.
"Good. We should offer them a treaty of peace while there is still time. They are mourning, we are mourning. Let us use this as a chance to bond. A chance to start over."
Bran surveyed the room. A collective gesture of approval was given after his proposal.
"I'll send a raven to Daario " Sam chimed in.
"Yes, notify him that Tyrion will be visiting Mereen to propose a truce" The king stated.
"Me? I must ask your grace... In my experience with peace treaties, the stronger party typically has the negotiating power than the smaller force. That being said, I'm an imp that served as hand to their dead queen, who now serves the same role under a different king, walking to through their city does not necessarily scream power."Tryion said.
"I would have to agree with him. I've seen this tiny fucker make it through some fights but against an army of sellswords. Alone. He's a dead man. Let me go with him" Bronn added.
He has been itching for some excitement since he accepted the role of master of coins. His new job was a lot less exciting than his previous career.
"very well. You shall set sail at dawn. Ser Davos will be your captain. This council has been dismissed " Bran directed to the council with a confident tone.
Tryion and Davos stared at each other with the same concerned look after the king's orders were given.
Bran directed Poderick to escort him back to his chambers. Again, everyone stood up abruptly as he approached the exit "Your grace" They said. As they do every time the king leaves the council before leaving the room, the king stopped to speak to the lords before returning back to Maegor's Holdfast where he spent most of his time.
"Do not forget my lords. We harness the most powerful weapon in the world" He said.
"And that is?" Bronn asked with a doubtful tone knowing that they were clearly outnumbered compared to the Second Sons.
"knowledge" Bran stated as he and Poderick exited the room.
Later that Night, Tyrion and Bron walked down the hall towards Ser Davos's chambers to discuss the strategy for the morning. The halls were quiet and the wind could be heard howling through the broken walls of the Red Keep.
"Do you really think this is a wise decision? "Tryion asked Bronn.
Bronn looked down at Tyrion "You'd be a be a fucking idiot to think this is a wise decision." he replied.
"Then why did you volunteer to come with? You could have just stayed quiet" Tryion asked Bron with a confused look on his face.
"Don't take this to heart but I've kind've grown fond of you Lannister bastards over the years. I'd hate to see you all die" He chuckled as he knocked on Ser Davos's door.
The door opened shortly after as Ser Davos was expecting their company. He asked them to join him earlier in the day, just after the council meeting.
"Come on in. Have a seat." Davos instructed.
Tryion and Bran pulled up a chair next to the fire.
Though the Night King was gone, it still felt like in winter Westoros. The Snows of the North have inhabited Kings landing ever since the day Daenerys conquered the city. It was not a harsh winter as many have warned of but rather a very mild one. Even the north reported very mild weather to this point. Though mild, it was still strange to see snow falling through the windows of the Tower of the Hand.
"Gentlemen, I suppose we're here to discuss how we're supposed to make it through this one unscathed. I can get you to Mereen, piece of cake. The part we're here to explain is how to make sure I am going to be bringing back two diplomats with a peace treaty, rather than two dead mean and a message from the Second Sons. " Davos said, laying out the blueprint for the meeting.
"Well, that's comforting" Tryion said as he poured wine for himself and Bronn.
There was a brief moment of silence in the room as they all weighed out the options.
"Unfortunately we're fucked... There's only one way into the city and that's walking right through the center of it. You all know it. Sam sent a Raven to Mereen hours ago" Bronn explained.
"I'm afraid he's right. The Second Sons are arguably the most powerful army in Essos. I've seen them first hand. There is only one way we do this... On their terms" Tryion said reinforcing Bronn's statement.
"Ay, then it's settled... We'll have more time on the trip to Mereen to discuss the specifics. In the meantime, we should all get some rest. We set sail at sunrise." Ser Davos said.
Tryion and Bron stood up and slammed their glasses of wine before agreeing with him and exiting the room. Ser Davos remained seated as the Bronn closed the door to the room. He started reminiscing on past voyages and now found himself staring into the fire. He remembered all of the times he heard Melissandre talk about the visions in the fire. Visions he didn't believe in until he saw Jon Snow resurrected from the grave. Davos started to look in the flames for a vision. He wanted to believe. It didn't take long before he was given what he asked for. Could start to make out the shadow of a figure a coming to life within the firepit... It slowly focused in, and he could see it clearly now.
It was Jon walking to the gates of Winterfell. What was he doing there? He is banished from the realm. Why am I seeing this? He thought to himself before rubbing his eyes in disbelief...
When he opened his eyes again the vision in the flames was gone. Davos was unsure of what he just saw, but it was getting late and he knew the challenge that waited for him at sunrise. Conflicted as ever, the thoughts of his former leaders filled his head and he slowly drifted into sleep.
*The same day in the north of the wall at a camp near Hardhome.
It was a gentle day in the eyes of the north. It was cold but it was not unbearable. Jon snow sat in his tent alongside his companion Ghost. Gazing at his sword in the crisp winter morning. The last time he used this sword he was Kings Landing. It was also the last time he saw Daenerys. The last time he saw his family and his friends other than his comrades north of the wall. No matter how good he got at hiding it Jon was still heartbroken about the events that unfolded just a few weeks ago. It was obvious to Tormund.
"Crow, are you up? Tormunds scruffy voice yelled from outside the tent.
"Yes, come in" Jon replied.
Tormund entered Jons quarters and sat down.
"I'd like you to meet my new friend. Her name is Ynrit" He said as a young girl walked through the door.
Jon nodded at the girl. The way she held herself reminded him of Ygrid. Strong and independent.
"Ynrit and I are going hunting. Grab your bow and join us" Tormund said as he threw Jons bow to him.
Jons attention shifted to Ghost who was whining with eagerness to accept the morning challenge. "Well come on then, let's go." He said to the dire wolf as he stood up to follow Tormund outside.
They headed west towards the forest. "Where to this time?" Jon asked the small hunting party.
"Where the deer are" Tormund snickered under his breath.
"You think your smart don't you?" John said playfully.
"If I have a say in this matter, The first bend of the river to the west has had deer in it for the last week according to Thogvar back at camp. I say we check that out." Yrnit added.
"Yes! We won't be back tonight if we plan on going that far though. Better bring some supplies" Tormund said now mirroring the eagerness of the dire wolf.
"Way ahead of you redhead. I packed our saddles before we went to meet with Jon" Ynrit chimed in.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jon said with a smirk on his face.
There was always an underlying story under Jons facial expressions these days. Everyone knew he would never be the same after what has happened. Though Jon would participate in small amounts of banter, he was rather reserved in his new life. For the first week, he did not even say a word. Tormund and Ynrit understood the situation and for the most part and gave him his space.
It was a few hours before they reached their destination at the river bend.
"We're here" Yrnit said.
"Finally!" Tormund exclaimed.
Jon snapped back into the conversation.
"We should probably eat. I'll get a fire going" Ynrit said.
"I'll set up camp." Tormund added.
For the first time in hours, Jon joined back into reality. Everyone dismounted their horses and started to prepare for the cold night that was ahead of them. It wasn't long before everything was set up and all of them were gathered around the fire. They cooked the venison they packed before they left. Everybody was anticipating the meal after the long ride from Hardhome, Including Ghost. When the meat was finished it was devoured in seconds by the party. Not long after, their eyes grew heavy.
"Aghhh, we should get some rest. We will need our strength for the hunt in the morning" Tormund stated as he headed back towards his portion of the camp.
Jon nodded in approval and was next to get up and to search for a place to rest his head for the night.
"Jon, not yet. I have to ask you something" Yrnit said.
"What is it?" He asked.
"They tell stories of you, you know. They say that you were brought back from the dead. Tormund says the people of the south think of you as a god. I have to ask... Is this true?"
Jon looked at her and said with a chuckle "I am no god, but I am sure Tormund has told you that"
Yrnrit snickered softly as she stared into the flames of the campfire.
"I was murdered by my own men after being named Lord Commander of the Nights Watch" he said.
Still skeptical, Ynrit continued to press on the issue. "Why would they do that?" She asked.
This was the first time truly opened up with any of the Free Folk, including Tormund, since he was ordered to live his life north of the wall. Jon took a deep breath of the crisp northern air before he began to speak. "They disagreed with my decision allow Free Folk south of the wall. It wasn't a very peaceful time in those days at Castle Black. Stanis had just sentenced Mance Rayder, the King beyond the wall, to death by fire for not bending the knee to the so-called rightful heir to the throne. He was a good man that wanted to help his people survive. He knew winter was coming. His only goal was to bring the Free Folk south of the wall to protect them from the Night King and his army of the dead. In the end, is downfall was his pride. With the events that played out at Castle Black after his death, I'm not sure he would have survived anyway."he said.
Ynrit grew intrigued with the story.
"A young boy entered my chambers and told me one of the Free Folk had seen my uncle Benjen. Nobody has seen or heard from him in 4 years. I ran out to find out more of these statements. I walked through a group of watchmen who were gathered around the gates of the castle only to find a cross with the word "traitor" carved in it. When I turned around I was stabbed in the stomach by one of my own. They took turns driving their daggers through my flesh. With every thrust of their blades, they uttered the words "For the watch"... he added.
"What was death like? She asked.
"It was like nothing. There was nothing at all. The next thing I remembered I woke naked lying on a table with the evidence of my death painted on my chest. A knife wound straight through my heart." he said.
"But how? How is that possible?" Yngrit said, now fully enthralled with Jons story.
"That's a story for another time. We should get some rest. Tormund was right, we will need our strength when dawn arrives" He said knowing that this story was far from over.
Ynrit agreed with him and found a place to rest near Ghost, who was sleeping just a few feet away from the fire.
Jon thought deeper about his past and the story he just shared with his new friend. The silent woods of the north were the perfect place to get lost in thought. It wasn't long before Jon found himself in a trance staring at the fire. He could hear Melisandre's voice ringing through his head "The Lord has brought you back for a reason". Years have passed since this moment but the words were as clear as if they were just spoken to him. An image started to form within the flames of a campfire.
John leaned in towards the campfire to get a better look. When the image finished focusing, he knew immediately what he was looking at. It was the waterfall he hunted near when he was a child. The same one he brought Daenerys to before the Battle of Winterfell. But why? What's at the waterfall? What was it's meaning? Then he heard the Red Witch's voice again "You know nothing, Jon Snow"
This phrase. He spent years of trying to decipher these words yet he still did not understand them... The waterfall? What does he not know? Why did the lord of light bring him back? All these questions. Though he did not know the answers, he did know one thing... He would not rest easy until he learned.